Water planners recommend $34,990 contract to update regional plan cost-and-finance chapter

The Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission on Feb. 5 voted to forward a recommendation to the Western Regional Water Commission to approve a professional-services contract with Hansford Economic Consulting to update the Regional Water Management Plan’s cost-and-finance chapter.

Program Manager Kim Rigdon told commissioners the WRWC Act requires the regional plan be reviewed and updated every five years and that the plan must include a cost and financing analysis for major facilities. Rigdon said Catherine Hansford, principal of Hansford Economic Consulting, prepared the financial analysis for the plan in 2016 and 2021 and submitted a proposal and scope of work with a budget not to exceed $34,990 (attachment 5A in the meeting packet).

Hansford briefly described the proposal and the major tasks she would undertake. "Task 1 is to coordinate with Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency," Hansford said, and she outlined additional steps including a deeper financial analysis of entity capital improvement plans and preparing the written financial chapter. Rigdon said the work would include follow-up with local entities if TMRPA project data have gaps.

Commissioner Michael Drinkwater moved to forward a recommendation of approval for the scope of work and funding not to exceed $34,990 from the Regional Water Management Fund for Hansford Economic Consulting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Bill Hauck and carried unanimously.

The contract is for preparation of the cost-and-finance chapter of the 2026 Regional Water Management Plan and may include optional tasks (a fee-burden analysis) at the commission’s discretion. Rigdon noted the fee-burden task is informative but not mandatory under state statute. The commission did not change the proposed scope or budget at the meeting.

The commission will forward the recommendation and Hansford’s scope and budget to the Western Regional Water Commission for final action.